


Colors Bleed

by charlietheepic7



Series: Crossovers No One But Me Wanted [5]
Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game), Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Colorblind Soulmate AU, Crossover, F/M, Female Persona 5 Protagonist, Past Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist - Freeform, Persona 5 Protagonist Takes the Place of MC, Post-Canon, Pre-Canon, Rika/V | Kim Jihyun - Freeform, You don't need to have played p5 to read, for mysme, for p5, mentions of - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-12 15:01:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29012469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charlietheepic7/pseuds/charlietheepic7
Summary: Seven was fine without a soulmate. Until he gets one.
Relationships: 707 | Choi Luciel/Kurusu Akira, 707 | Choi Luciel/Main Character
Series: Crossovers No One But Me Wanted [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1910695
Comments: 3
Kudos: 23





	Colors Bleed

The lack of soulmate suited Luciel. It made him a preferable agent, at least, since he was one of the few who didn’t have to worry about the agency killing the one who would bring color into the world. Seven knew the idea bothered Vanderwood - he could see blue, the color of the sky and ocean apparently - but Seven didn’t have a color. The world was simply black and white and grey, so much grey, so he didn’t have to worry about a random person getting involved and hurt because of him. 

Not being able to see color was troublesome though. Ignoring V and Rika constantly talking about it - though, really, did they have to constantly discuss how red a flower was, or the tan of skin, or whatever the hell pink-gold was? - it bugged Seven that there was an entire world out there he could never experience. He only knew crappy descriptions, that red was passionate and the color of blood, or that green was peaceful and the color of leaves, descriptions that left Luciel craving to know exactly  _ what _ colors were. He could match the shade of grey to the approximate color, but beyond that? Color was just light reflecting off objects, but it was only upon meeting one’s soulmate that people could see anything other than their soulmate’s eye color. But why? 

Luciel knew his hair was red, blood, because of Sae… that child. He was grateful that that child had a soulmate, a promise of happiness, even if it allowed that child to see the color of his own blood. But Luciel decided that he would like yellow. Apparently it was the cautionary color, used to warn people. He wore yellow, and red, and black, like a poisonous snake. Keep away, keep away. 

He preferred his world grey. 

Though Rika insisted that she dress him for the second RFA party. Last time he wore all black, like a funeral, so she took control of his wardrobe and gave him a white suit with red and black accents. She insisted the red matched his hair. 

Looking down, Seven thought he looked good. Nothing comparable to Zen, dressed in all white, a bright light in the sea of grey. Jumin was on the other side of the room, precious Elly in his arms. After a few attempts of trying to play with the pretty kitty, Seven now nursed a bruise on his cheek from Jumin’s security. He pouted. 

Zen noticed where his gaze was locked. “Hey, don’t you dare try again.”

“But…”

“He will arrest you.” Zen rolled his eyes. “I don’t understand why you like that furball so much anyway.”

“She’s so pretty!” Luciel cooed. “Look at her little paws, I just want to squeeze them!”

Zen sneezed. “Geeze…” He rubbed his face with a handkerchief. “If you’re so desperate to pet a cat, why don’t you just buy one yourself? Then you and that trust fund kid will stop arguing about it in chat.”

Seven pouted. It wasn’t just about how beautiful Elly is. It was that she was a gift from Rika and V, tangible evidence that the couple cared for Jumin that Seven’s life as an agent would never allow him. It was that she was generally affectionate to everyone, even him, when… when he so rarely received a kind touch. 

He craved it like no other. 

But Seven couldn’t explain Saeyoung’s cravings to Zen, so he just pouted. “There is no cat cuter than my Elly~!”

Zen groaned. “Still, you could at least at least play with a cat that doesn’t have three bodyguards,” he said, then pointed. “Like that one.”

His eyes followed Zen’s finger to see a tuxedo cat… sitting all alone in the middle of the buffet table. The two watched in shock as the cat took a huge bite of the Beef Wellington before Seven-Zero-Seven, Defender of Justice and Dinner, sprung into action. He rushed towards the cat. “That’s a very bad kitty!” He tried to scoop the cat up and away from the food, but it deftly dodged him and Seven nearly fell face first into soup. The cat jumped on his head, knocking his glasses off into the food as it springboarded off him. 

Seven whirled around to find the cat sitting primly behind him, licking its paw like it had done nothing wrong. He scowled; on any other occasion, he’d be cooing over how cute it looked, but now? He hastily cleaned his glasses with a spare napkin and put them back on. They smelled like tomatoes. “Bad kitty…” He crept towards it, ready to give it the button-mash petting of a lifetime, when the cat shot off into the crowd. 

Luciel followed, close at the animal’s heels, arms out and ready to scoop it up into a hug. Little mischief maker, he was going to squish its cheeks so hard-

Luciel crashed face first into a womans’ stomach, taking her down in a flailing of limbs down to the floor. He felt his face flush, immediately pushing himself off from between the woman’s legs with an apology. Her dress was expensive-looking, soft silk and his panic rose. Rika would  _ kill him _ if he hurt one of their wealthy guests-

He met her eyes. 

The world  _ bloomed. _

It started with her skin, a healthy blush now contrasting with the color -  _ color! - _ of her skin. Her dress brightened to a shade that matched the few strands of his hair he could see -  _ red, her dress was red, and her gloves were red, and his hair was red, he could see red!  _ The colors spread around them like a flower opening, like a star exploding, and it was intense enough to give Luciel a near instant headache. He looked back at her face; her hair was black, curling around her face handsomely, down to her shoulders with a similar texture to his own. 

Her eyes, hidden behind thick-rimmed glasses, stayed gray. 

The same eyes were staring awe-struck at him before tearing up. She grabbed her head. “Oh, ow…”

Seven, remembering that he had knocked her down, pushed up and away from her, babbling excuses. She held out a hand and he hauled her to her feet, helping her stand when she almost fell again. “I’m so sorry!” he apologized again, trying to ignore the small number of people staring at them. “Is your head-”

“It’s fine. I didn’t hit it,” she waved away his concerns. Even in her heels - red, just like the rest of her - she stood half a head below him. “It just… romance novels don’t really prepare you for the sensory overload, do they?” She tried to laugh off the pain.

It struck Luciel that this was his  _ soulmate _ , the one he didn’t think existed, the one who was now in danger because of bad luck. He stiffened, looking away from her. “Yeah… I should get back to-”

He tried to turn away, but the woman grabbed his arm in a surprisingly strong grip. “Wait!” He looked back at her desperate eyes. “My name is Akira Sakura. What’s yours?”

He couldn’t say no to those eyes. “...Luciel Choi,” was his quiet answer. 

“Okay then, Mr. Choi-”

“Luciel. Or Seven.” He didn’t want any reminders of that man.

“Seven?”

“A nickname.”

She nodded. “Then you can call me Akira. Now, Luciel… why exactly were you chasing my cat?” she said with a glare.

“...What?”

Like it had been watching them, the cat he had been chasing mewed, climbing up Akira’s dress with ease to perch on her shoulder. Seven swore it looked smug before turning to Akira and chittering. She sighed. “Yes, yes, I know, calm down. So,” she addressed Seven. “Why were you chasing him?”

“Um… He got into the buffet table…”

She gasped. “Mona-chan!” she said and then continued in another language. Japanese, he realized. And from her tone, she was scolding him.

“I-It’s fine! Mona-chan didn’t do too much damage. I’m sure he was just hungry.”

Mona growled at him and Akira placed a placating hand on his back. “Sorry. His name is actually Morgana; only his friends are allowed to call him Mona-chan.”

His eyebrows furrowed. “Oh...kay?”

“Anyway, I’m sorry he was a bother; he was probably just bored. Mona-chan, why don’t you go join Haru?” Morgana made a noise of complaint as Akira drew more attention for talking to the cat like it was a person. Seven was used to Jumin speaking to Elly, but not like he was expecting her to respond. “I’ll be fine, he’s not going to hurt me. Come on, get off. You’re getting fat.” A yowl. “Yes you are, it’s all the tuna Haru and Sumi sneak you.” The cat complained again, but jumped off her shoulder and ran off, likely getting underfoot somewhere else. Akira brushed off her shoulder and smiled. “There. I’m really sorry for his behavior. He’s usually much better behaved.”

“Do you usually take him to parties?”

“I take him everywhere; he’s my partner. Here-” Akira stopped to reach into one of the pockets in her dress and gave him a business card.

“‘Akira Sakura: Security Consultant’?” There was a phone number underneith. 

“That’s right. Rich people hire me to make sure their properties have adequate security and won’t get robbed. Mona-chan helps me inspect hard to reach locations, like air ducts or in between walls.” She cocked her head. “What do you do?”

“O-Oh, I’m the RFA Cyber Security Expert. I’m in charge of protecting the guest information.” Was it a lie if he didn’t tell her the whole truth? Soulmate or not, Seven couldn’t just tell her that he hacks for a living. It was illegal and he didn’t know her.

“That’s interesting. So we do similar jobs…” She struggled to find a topic of conversation, occasionally shooting a glance to someone across the room. “Do you… want to get some air?”

“Yes, definitely.” It was like he could feel everyone’s eyes on them, even though he knew it was impossible. “There’s a balcony?”

She offered him her arm. “Show me?”

“Gladly.” Luciel led her outside, ignoring the questioning glance of Jaehee who they passed. 

The balcony was empty of people, but filled with flowers. Sorrow made his heart ache as Akira let go of his arm to marvel at the potted garden around them. That child would have loved it. 

Akira reached out to touch the bloom of a carnation. “Wow…” she whispered. “I used to work with flowers, so I’m used to their beauty, but this is… It’s like a new world.”

“I know.” Luciel closed his eyes against the overwhelming color of the world. “I had no idea that everything would be this…  _ saturated _ .” He used to hear that word thrown around by V, but he had no idea of its true meaning before.

“No idea…? Oh!” She looked up, expression hurt. “I forgot. My eyes…”

“It’s not your fault; you can’t control your genetics.”

“Still, you must have been bullied since you couldn’t see a color.”

Luciel was long practiced in ignoring the memory of his mother’s jeering voice. “Nothing I couldn’t handle. Better me than someone else.” Then that child.

Akira gave him a concerned look, then sighed. “Is this… not feeling like it should?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean… All the romance novels said that we’re instantly supposed to click and fall in love, but this is just… awkward.”

“Do you read a lot of romance novels for love advice?” he teased. 

She snorted. “I used to. Helped bump up my charm back in high school. But seriously though.”

“I’m going to be honest with you, Akira…” Luciel looked away. “I don’t really want to be in a romantic relationship right now.” It would put her in too much danger, he couldn’t allow an innocent person to get hurt because of him-

“I feel the same way.” She sagged in relief.

“Oh, thank God,” he sighed. “I know most people expect soulmates to date immediately, but my situation right now is just…”

“I understand completely. I was in a really bad relationship a few years ago and… Well, it wasn’t bad as in abusive, but… My boyfriend died and I never really got over it even though it’s been years and I didn’t exactly come here tonight expecting to meet my soulmate!”

“Well, I didn’t expect it either! I’m just here because Rika would get upset otherwise! I could be at home playing LOLOL right now.”

“Mmm, I’m more of a Gun About girl, but the motion stands to ban all fancy parties in favor of video games. All in favor?”

Seven raised an imaginary glass. “Here, here!”

“All opposed?” Silence. “The motion passes with majority; let’s go home and get into sweatpants.”

“I wish. I promised V I would stay until at least the auction.”

“V? That’s the photographer, right? Yusuke said mentioned having used some of his photos for inspiration, it’s his main reason for attending today.”

Seven raked his brain for anyone on the guest list named Yusuke. “You don’t mean Yusuke Kitaguwa? The famous Japanese painter?”

“I’d say he’s more infamous than famous, considering how he’s still giving away his paintings for free, but yeah, that’s him. We’ve been friends since high school.” Akira leaned against the balcony railing, looking out towards the rest of the city. “It’s funny; your coordinator contacted half of my friend group for this party without realizing that we all knew each other. Well, I doubt she could have known that we all knew each other; our group is kind of all over the place.”

It was easy, talking to Akira. Was it the soulmate bond in action? Or was it because their temperaments matched that they were soulmates. Luciel smiled. “Really? Who else is here that you know?”

“Well, you know about Yusuke. I’ve actually modeled for him a few times in some of his early work. He’s wonderful, but it’s so difficult to get him to eat regularly. He’d rather spend his money on art supplies than feeding himself! There’s Haru Okumura, the owner of Okumura Foods. She was my senpai in high school-we actually had a garden growing on the roof of our school if you can believe it.. Ann Takamaki sat in front of me in my second year-” A Japanese actress, Seven remembered- “She actually modeled with me for one of Yusuke’s paintings. There’s also Sumire Yoshizawa, the gymnast. I was her senpai. She just won nationals and started preparing for the Olympics! I also know Hifumi Tojo, the shoji player, though we didn’t end up coming together.”

Seven swallowed. His throat felt dry. “It sounds like you really love them.” 

She smiled. “I do. Honestly, I don’t think I’d be alive if it wasn’t for them.” She shook her head. “Anyway, what about you? Are you friends with the RFA?”

They talked throughout the party, the two never leaving the balcony to interact with other guests. As uneasy as Luciel felt about having a soulmate, he had to admit… he and Akira got along well. There were jokes and teasing, there were serious conversations, and they all flowed from one topic to another. He almost wished they didn’t get along so well, that they bickered and fought, so he had an excuse to keep her at arms length. 

“Here.” At the end of the day, after they watched the sun paint the sky behind them with burning color, Akira gave him one of her business cards and a carnation, plucked from one of the flower pots. He thought the color was pink, since it looked like a lighter shade of red. “In case you want to keep in contact… or if you need a security consultation. Either or.”

“You’re not going to force me to stay in contact with you?”

“If you want to contact me, you will. If you don’t, you won’t.” She shrugged, her expression sad despite her smile. “You seem uncomfortable enough. Besides, it’s not like I can ever forget you.”

“I…” Luciel played with the card, bent it a little. “Thank you. I’m sorry I can’t be the soulmate you deserve.”

“Pretty sure soulmates aren’t about deserving; I’ve always seen it as more what you need. And right now, you need someone who doesn’t pressure you, like how I need someone who can respect my grief. And for that, I’m more than happy to be friends with you.”

Akira left, presumably to leave with her friends, and Seven reentered the venue hall. The crowd had thinned significantly and staff were starting to clean up the venue. 

“You’re here often late.” Seven couldn’t help but smile as Rika stood beside him. She sipped daintily from a champagne glass. “You usually leave as soon as you can.”

“Yeah…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I ended up talking a while.”

“With Miss Sakura, right? I noticed her leave right before you.” Rika looked at the flower in his hand with a teasing smile. “You two must have talked for a long time; you both vanished for the entirety of the party.”

Luciel sighed. “Yeah. We… had a lot to talk about.” He checked to make sure no one was listening in. “She’s… she’s my soulmate.”

The smile instantly dropped from her face. “Saeyoung.” He flinched. “You know you can’t-”

“I know, I know. We agreed to just be friends, but…” He stared down at the bent business card. Luciel gave it to Rika. “Even talking to her puts her at risk. But… can you hang onto this for me? If… If one day, everything ends, I’d like to…”

She took the card. “Of course I’ll hold onto this for you.” Without warning, Rika kissed his cheek. “You’ll be happy one day, Saeyoung. I promise.”

He wanted to ask if that child was happy, if he had found his soulmate yet, if he was safe, but refrained. Rika kept him safe, he was certain. His throat tighened and he managed a nod. “Thank you, Rika.”

The last of the party dispersed and Seven walked to his car alone until he realized he still held the carnation Akira gave him. The flower felt heavy in his hand. 

“Luciel?” He turned to see V approaching him. “I wanted to catch you before you left. I didn’t see you all day.”

“I was out on the balcony for most of the party. Is something wrong?”

“Nothing, I was just worried, that’s all.” Seven smiled; V was such a dad. “...What is that? A flower?”

“Oh.” He quickly tossed the flower away. “It’s nothing, just something someone gave me.”

V frowned and picked the carnation up. “Luciel,” he admonished, “If someone gave you this, you should keep it. Especially considering the meaning.”

“The meaning?”

“Red carnations mean true love.” V winked as he returned the pink blossom to Luciel. “Looks like you really made an impression on that person.”

Luciel’s throat went dry, but he managed to say, “Y-Yeah, I guess I did. And they… they made an impression on me too.”

And, burdened with knowledge he didn’t want to know, Saeyoung escaped into the night.


End file.
